Inspiration – Country Design Home

Oct 20, 2015

The Marketplace at Adams Farm

For those of you who have followed my blog since its inception, you’ll remember that I got my start in the “junkin'” business at the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market in Norwood. I had some great times staging my monthly-themed space in the old mill with all kinds of reclaimed and reloved vintage wares.

Since then, I’ve moved north and staked my claim at the Barn at Todd Farm, while Nancy Murphy and Robin Hanlon,

the original founders of Vintage Thymes,

have temporarily closed the monthly market while they search for some new digs. In the meantime, in order to keep their huge following of vintage-lovers happy, they have focused their attentions on an exciting new endeavor, The Marketplace at Adams Farm in Walpole, MA!

Now partnered with Carol Bentley from Fleurish Home & Garden

and Marybeth Grey from Vintage Shade of Grey,

these four ladies are hosting a 2-day event at the Marketplace at Adams Farm on this coming Saturday & Sunday, October 24 & 25th from 10-4. The Marketplace will be much like the weekend markets at the mill: amazingly talented vendors offering their hand-made, re-refurbished and re-loved wares. You’ll be strolling the grounds of this bucolic “field of vintage dreams”

while enjoying live local music, furniture painting demonstrations, food trucks, raffles and of course, shopping-lots of shopping!! Admission is only $5, but a word to the wise: arrive early-on both days!

Why? Well, if you ever had the opportunity to visit the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market on the opening day, you’re aware of the immensely passionate following these ladies have garnered over the years. I suspect there’ll be lots of folks waiting at the entrance for their chance to have first dibs on the vintage wares being offered at the Marketplace. If you love vintage (and, I mean, who doesn’t!?), it’s going to be an event that you do NOT want to miss (and it looks like we may have a nice, sunny weekend as well : ). So, I’ll be seeing you at the The Marketplace at Adams Farm… and if you happen to run into Robin, Nancy, Mary Beth or Carol, tell them Sue from CountryDesignHome sent you! Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Adams Farm in Walpole, fall fairs in Massachusetts, Farm, Farm Fair in Walpole MA, Fleurish Home and Garden, MA, Marketplace at Adams Farm, south shore vintage fair in Massachiusetts, Vintage Thymes Monthly Market

Jun 9, 2015

Mason Jar Margaritas!

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

Last Sunday we kicked off our “summer of wedding fun” with a bridal shower honoring our daughter, the bride-to-be, Kate and her fiance Chris at River Bar in Assembly Row in Somerville.

The day was stormy, so the original plan of being outdoors on the patio was a wash. But this trendy restaurant, with its glass walls overlooking the Mystic River

was the perfect (dry) setting for a casual brunch with family and friends. When my generation were the “brides-to-be”, a shower favor was typically some Jordan almonds (um, yuck) wrapped in mesh and tied with a pretty ribbon with maybe a plastic ring as an embellishment. Whoops…so apparently those are still a thing…when I googled it to find a picture, there were almond favors everywhere! Apparently there is some significant history to the almonds…to read, click the link below…

Jordan Almond Favors via The Knot

Instead of those, for our shower favors I decided to create a Mason Jar Margarita (the bride’s fav : ). Most of the supplies came from Michaels Crafts…with the exception of the tequila and drink mixes! I bought the pint mason jars by the case

Next came the filler, strings and straws…

blue for margaritas,

red for non-alcoholic strawberry lemonade.

I spray painted the metal ring tops to match.

These cute little chalkboard circles, also from Michaels, were the perfect size to cover the floral design stamped on the metal sealing lids of the mason jars.

To those, I stamped a “Thank You” and embossed it with special powder and a heat gun.

(If you don’t know about embossing…which is totally awesome and magical…that DIY will be following shortly) I found the Bartender’s Margarita mix at our local grocery store and added the Starbucks Strawberry Lemonade for a non-alcoholic treat.

I created these labels to adhere to the fronts of the paper mix packets.

To assemble: a bit of paper shred, a tequila nip (which are the perfect size to fit inside the pint mason jar)

a drink mix packet. Screw on the tops, add a straw (we taped the straws to the side first to secure them, then tied the string around for the design.) The assembly went quickly once all the components were ready to go.

And then, the sign.

I had the chalkboard for weeks, awaiting my design genius to kick in to create something fun…you know, nothing really rhymes with margarita… which didn’t happen until 5 am on the morning of the shower…sometimes I do my best work under extreme pressure…so you’ll have to excuse the slightly off-centered-ness. The jars looked so cute all stacked up, and along with some mason jar centerpieces,

added a touch of bright color to the decor. The shower was a huge success, the bride and groom had a great time, and everyone departed carrying a mason jar-hopefully making a toast to the bride while enjoying their drink of choice. Next up, invitation assembly day! Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, The Wedding 2015, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #makeatoasttothebride, #masonjarmargaritas, #showerfavormagaritas, Bar-Tenders Drink Mix, DIY Shower favors, Mason Jar Margaritas, Michaels Crafts, Rustoleum Spray Paint, Starbucks Lemonade Mix

Jun 8, 2015

Americana Decor Chalky Paint Contest-WOW!

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Announcing…Whenever I am choosing chalk paints to transform a piece of furniture, I typically go to Michaels to grab a pot or two of Americana Chalky Paints by DecoArt.

These are 8oz containers, which is usually enough to transform one to two pieces of furniture, depending on the size. They are available in an array of colors and, with a coupon, are incredibly affordable at around $4.00 each-that’s $16 per quart!! This paint requires little to no prep work and leaves a smooth, ultra-matte finish. Most recently, I completed this sideboard for my family room:

and this incredible painted globe that we will be using at our daughter’s upcoming wedding (yikes, it’s getting closer…)

but now I’m excitedly planning my newest project because this time I can win a prize…a BIG prize… for the best design…and so can you!!! DecoArt is holding a contest called “All About Second Chances Chalky Paint Contest!” . This is your chance to show off that gem of a makeover using Americana Decor Chalky Paints and win…wait for it…$$$...the Grand Prize is $2000 cash and $500 in retail prizes…amazing!!! The judging will be based on 40% creativity, 40% final photo and 20% inspiration story…was this grandmother’s treasured chest that was tucked away in the attic, or did you rescue an old table in total disrepair from the dumpster and give it a fresh new look??? Either way, it’s time to grab a paintbrush and start your makeover today…because everyone…and everything…needs a second chance. The contest runs through August 31st, which gives you plenty of time to get inspired and complete your transformation. For contest details, go to http://decoart.com/secondchances/ or click the pic below:

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a dresser to chalky paint…here’s hope your week starts off with a fresh new look! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #americanachalkypaint, #chalkypaintbydecoart, #DecoArt Chalky Paints, Americana Chalky Paint by DecoArt, Americana Chalky Paint Contest, chalk paint, chalky paint contest, DecoArt Chalky Paint contest, win money for chalky paint transformation

May 19, 2015

One Ocean, One Love Shop

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

This past weekend, we had the great pleasure of attending the grand opening of One Ocean, One Love Shop in Rockport, Mass.

One Ocean Arts, the brainchild of our super-talented and artistic niece Jamie, is a retail shop in the heart of Bearskin Neck in Rockport. For those of you who do not know about Rockport, it is an iconic little seaside town about 50 minutes north of Boston, most famous for its “Motif #1” fishing shack.

The entire downtown, including the enclave know as Bearskin Neck is dotted with art galleries, retail shops, ice cream parlors and candy shops with a spectacular ocean view-perfect for a Sunday summer stroll. A year ago, Jamie started her One Ocean Arts Etsy shop featuring sea-inspired block-printed clothing and accessories, then expanded to her website, One Ocean Arts, then offering her wares at local craft fairs and events. With the incredibly positive response (and repeat customers!) opening the shop with her business partner Erin

was the next step in spreading their “Once Ocean, One Love” mantra.

You see, Jamie is not only a talented artist, she is also a marine mammal trainer at the NE Aquarium,

and her love of the sea and all of its creatures is most evident in her hand-carved blocks…

that she uses for printing her merchandise.

The shop, although brand new, has a time-worn surf shop appearance

with natural planking and old weathered docking used to create the display fixtures throughout the shop.

Jamie is also an outstanding photographer, and many of her black and white ocean images dot the walls,

creating the perfect backdrop for their vintage-washed clothing line.

This is the incredible view from the rear window…not sure how I would get any work done looking at this all day : )

One of my personal favs…it’s all about saving our oceans…

The clothing is super soft cotton, eco-friendly, hand block-printed and washing machine safe.

There are baby clothes…three little fishes!

and all sorts of sea-inspired accessories including tote bags

and hand-crafted dog leashes…

Jamie’s love of animals extends to her own two dogs, Brooks and Parker, who you may find hanging around the shop when you stop in for a visit.

By the end of the evening, as the party was drawing to a close…and the sangria was all but gone…

it looked like everyone was wearing a bit of One Ocean Arts…

including surfer dude Coach…

So if you happen to be in Rockport taking in the sights and sounds, make sure you look for the shop with the bright blue door…

it’s the third one down on the left as you enter Bearskin Neck…#6…and tell Jamie and Erin that Auntie Sue sent you!! And if you can’t get to Rockport, be sure to check out the website @ OneOceanArts.com Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BearskinNeckShop, #Rockportmass, Jamie Mathison One Ocean Arts, Mass clothing store, One Ocean Arts, One Ocean Clothing line, One Ocean One Love Shop, Rockport, Sea inspired clothing line one ocean arts

Feb 6, 2015

Fun Friday Cash Giveaway!

By countrydesignhome · 1 Comment

Well, it’s finally Friday. Somehow we made it through this week of unending snowfall (with more on the way!), school closings and Super Bowl parades-yay, Patriots! As a way to welcome in February, I’ve teamed up with some generous fellow bloggers from All Bloggers United

for a little fun Friday Cash Giveaway called Treat Yo Self!

Just enter using the Rafflecoptor form below. So, what can you do with $100?? Well, you can just take a winter break…dine out, have a spa day…or perhaps a little retail therapy-just make sure you use it to treat yourself! From now until February 18th, you can enter here to win a $100 Paypal Cash Prize! Just click the Rafflecoptor link below and follow the simple instructions to enter.

Thanks to the following All Bloggers United for participating in this giveaway…

In-Between Life . Re-Solve . Ask Away . New York Style of Mind . Country Design Home . Book Delight . Dollar Store Diva . Hodge Podge Moments . Oh So Savannah . Lollies and Lipsticks . Mermade Moments . Coming Up Roses . My Sensational Kid & Me

…and good luck to all of you! Have a great weekend, everyone! xoxo Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, Link Parties, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: All Bloggers United, All Bloggers United Cash Giveaway, blog cash giveaway on Country Design Home, Facebook Bloggers United, Fun Friday $$$ Giveaway, Money giveaway for February

Feb 2, 2015

Paint By Number…Vintage Sideboard Makeover

By countrydesignhome · 6 Comments

Today’s Vintage Sideboard Makeover brought to you by DecoArt’s Americana Paints and the numbers 1 through 7 : )

I’m so pleased to announce that I am now a contributing blogger to the Deco Art Blogger Outreach Program!

I use their line of Americana chalky paints and finishes quite frequently and am happy to share my latest furniture makeover featuring their great products with you! This vintage sideboard has been in our family room since we purchased it at a second-hand shop a few years back. Every time I walked in the back door, I was greeted by this drab brown large block of wood.

No matter how I styled the top, the fact was that it was dark and sucked up all the light in the space. I have been on a painting and DIY overdrive since all of the snow started piling up, and I figured it was high time to take this old wood-paneled station wagon and transform it into a bright, shiny red cadillac. Here is the how-to:

1. Cleaned the wood surfaces. The top was not part of the original piece, it was constructed with reclaimed wood, attached and sanded down to a clean blonde wood (but not by me-thanks to whomever did this step for me : ) Which is how has remained until I got inspired. Because the plank wood was quite pretty in its raw state, I knew I did not want to paint it, so decided to wax/stain it instead.

2. So I finished the top with two coats of Americana Crème Wax in Golden Brown, allowing time to dry between the coats, which enhances the color and grain of the wood while providing a beautiful glowing finish.

These waxes are water based, have no odor, are very easy to apply and clean up. You paint on or wipe on with a soft rag,

then wipe off the excess. If it gets too tacky while you are working, you can dampen the rag to soften the wax and smooth the edges. Allow to dry, then buff with a soft cloth.

3. I was on the fence about the wood knobs-whether to replace them or not-when I realized they were screwed and glued into place. Decision made. I taped them and painted around them to keep the wood knobs to match the wood top.

For the doors and drawers, I painted them with two coats of Americana Chalky Paint called Primitive, which is a creamy greige (that’s a gray and beige combined). Using Americana stencils and Chalky Paint called Relic (a deep charcoal gray) per my No-Fail Stenciling Techniques, I added the numbers to the drawers and doors for a touch of whimsy, then sanded the edges and finished with a coat of Americana Clear Creme Wax.

4. I decided to antique the doors’ center panels for a little bit of color and contrast, so I taped them off, then painted with two coats of Americana Serene Blue Chalky Paint.

5. Allowed to dry, then painted with a coat of Americana Crackle Medium. This is a clear finish that you paint on to a sealed or painted surface, then allow to dry. As it dries, it crackles the paint underneath it and antiques it at the same time. If I had the time-lapse option on my camera, I could’ve shared this process. But trust me when I tell you it looks like a science experiment! The thicker you paint it on, the more crackling appears. In this case, I put it on really thick and most of the blue paint actually crackled off.

Whoops. But I was OK with that, as it gave the panels the appearance of old paint that had been worn away by time and use.

6. For the body of the piece, I had decided to paint it an antique red to co-ordinate with the rug that sits directly in front of it. The plan was to paint with two coats, then add the darker wax finish. But, when I started painting the Americana Chalky Paint in Romance Red

over the dark brown finished wood (remember, with these paints you do not need to prep or sand…just paint away!)

I got a little panicky because it was really, really bright!

BUT, then a miracle happened (not unlike that end zone interception with 30 seconds left in the game last night…) it basically antiqued itself! I painted it on, then wiped off the excess with a rag,

essentially staining it red while allowing the brown tone and grain of the wood to show through! The chalky paint acted like a stain, allowing me to leave on as much or little as I preferred to get the perfect shade of antique red. I love it when the unexpected happens…in a good way : ) Had I preferred, I could have painted the entire piece with the two coats of red and then waxed with the darker finish. But this was so much easier! So all it took was one quick coat of paint on the wood, wiping it off, allowing it to dry, then coating with the Americana Clear Crème Wax, which gives the entire piece a bright, glowing finish.

7. After I re-affixed the doors back onto the sideboard, I then re-staged it with some of my favorite things. And although much of those are the same, the entire wall takes on a whole new look with this bright, fun Americana Vintage Sideboard Makeover. This sideboard is a very functional piece of furniture in our home, holding a variety of household items like glasses, batteries, candles and more-essentially one large junk drawer…now when Coach asks me where I can find the IPhone chargers and cases, I can direct him to drawer #5!

Thanks to Deco-Art for supplying the Americana Chalky Paints and finishes but allowing me to use my own DIY imagination. Hope you all had a Super Sunday, everyone-I know we Pats fans sure did! Time for some more snow shoveling… but at least we’ll know where to find our winter scarves…behind door #6!! Xoxo Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, Inspiration, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Americana, Americana Creme Wax, Americana number stencils, Chalky Paints by Americana, crackle glaze on furntiure, DecoArts, painting furniture with chalky paint, using chalk paint as stain, waxing furniture for a finish

Dec 18, 2014

Being Sick (& Yummy Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel) Bites

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

I’ve been sick these past few+ days with some sort of flu or cold or whatever is “going around”. Sick as in I couldn’t go to work, couldn’t attend the annual neighborhood Christmas party and essentially just found myself lying on the couch for hours watching Hallmark Christmas Movie Marathons. This week so far has been a total frustrating fail for me. I kind of felt like this guy-agghhh!

No big DIY projects, no blogging, no nothing, other than trips back and forth from the couch to the fridge to the pantry to open yet another can of soup or box of crackers. Coach would leave saying “my poor darlin'” and come home hours later with me still in the exact same position on the couch and say “really??”-lol-he’s not used to seeing me doing nothing, and I mean nothing-not a paint brush or sandpaper in sight-for days. But, you know, it hasn’t been all that bad. This little forced break given me an opportunity to step back and take stock of what I’m doing with this blog and the barn shop and start implementing a plan moving forward that doesn’t result in me being so run down and exhausted that I end up lying on the couch watching endless Castle reruns and stocking up on kleenex tissues whilst staring at a large, dark green evergreen in the corner of my family room.

The house is not even close to being decorated, because I just didn’t have the energy to open up all of the giant bins and sort them out, never mind actually placing the items somewhere decoratively. Coach and I finally got a tree Monday night (good thing I’m not part of any of those blogging holiday house tours…) & it finally has lights but no ornaments.

BUT, today marks a new day and newly inspired (and sugared up : ) by our annual work cookie swap which took place yesterday,

I’m on the mend and ready to add some holiday spirit to our home : ) In the meantime, I figured I’d share this yummy recipe for Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel Bites I used for the cookie swap. (And I assured my co-workers that I did not breathe on them and repeatedly washed and disinfected my hands before handling!) The original recipe for Salted Caramel Pretzel Pecan BonBons

was via BakerByNature...but mine didn’t come out exactly as the photo (aren’t these gorgeous?!?), but they were still pretty tasty, if not a bit extra chewy! Here’s the how-to:

1. Assemble ingredients: Bag of caramels, bag of pecan 1/2’s, bag of mini pretzels (these I did not have in my pantry),

some melting chocolate, sea salt, holiday sprinkles (these I had on hand). I didn’t have any of the main three ingredients at home, so I ran over to Walgreens since that is the closest store to my home, and I figured they would have the basic snack bags the recipe required. Which they did, which made me happy, so I didn’t have to trek all the way to the grocery store. And they had more kleenex and cough drops too, which made me healthy (sort of). And that is why they are at the corner of Happy & Healthy. So that was a win.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Or a small one depending on the # of bites you wish to make. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make small batches as you go.

3. Place the number of mini-pretzels equivalent to the number of bites you wish to make. 12 makes a dozen. 24 makes 2 dozen. Simple math.

4. Unwrap the caramels…meh, not fun. When my kids were little and I needed unwrapped caramels, I used to have them race to see who could open them all the fastest-worked every time!

But the only “little one” I have around me these days is a Frenchie named Bartlet,

and unwrapping caramels is near-impossible without opposable thumbs, unless you want caramels with drool and bite marks. Place an unwrapped caramel on top of each mini-pretzel. The recipe mentioned above called for chocolate mixed with coconut oil and vanilla, so I skipped that step by buying caramels that were coconut and vanilla flavored. Right?!?

5. Place in oven and bake just until they soften. Now the original instructions said 7-8 minutes, JUST TO SOFTEN. But, I left mine in a bit too long (I swear I was watching them, but then I got distracted and…they over-melted. So I scrambled to put the caramel back onto the pretzel by taking a small knife and scooping it back up.

6. Quickly place a pecan 1/2 on each one. These look pretty messy because I was placing pecans and scooping up oozing caramel lava as I went along.

If you melt them correctly, you won’t have this problem. Lightly sprinkle each with sea salt. Good thing sea salt is a thing right now, because I have this giant cannister full that will probably last me forever!

7. While they cool, you melt the bag of chocolate in the microwave according to the directions. These are the bags of Wilton Candy Melts you can get at your local crafts store. They have many flavors and colors, but I happen to like my chocolate dark, especially when mixed with salted caramel.

I always use a heavy bowl and cook in the microwave on high, the first go round for 30 seconds, then take it out and stir.

Then every 15 seconds until the chocolate is drippy and all the little disks are melted.

DO NOT OVERCOOK. OR YOU WILL HAVE A BIG SCORCHED BLOCK OF CHOCOLATE.

8. I dipped the bottom of the cooled pretzel in the chocolate, then flipped them over on the parchment to let them dry.

9. Once dry, I flipped them back over, reheated the chocolate just enough to melt,

then drizzled it over the top,

adding a few holiday sprinkles.

Coconut is optional as well.

10. Allow to dry, then store in the fridge or a cool, dry place. Like my family room. Because we don’t turn the heat past 55. Sweaters, folks!! Unless I’m sick, in which case I got to turn it up to 60-lol! Then you share the goodies with friends and family, because you can’t eat all of them yourself. Or could you….have a sweet Thursday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Cookin' Up Country, Inspiration, My Little Red House, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Salted Caramel Pretzel Pecan BonBons by Baker by Nature, Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel Bites, Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel chocolate bites, Walgreens, Wilton Candy Melts

Dec 12, 2014

Thanks, Black & Decker For My Big Finish!

By countrydesignhome · 7 Comments

Recently, I had heard of a contest sponsored by Black & Decker called Your Big Finish!

Their goal is to get America to finish what they started-“It’s All For Done…And Done For All”! You know all of those projects you have started along the way that are in different stages of completion…like my Hall of Shame...and my mom’s thrifty kitchen makeover? Well, those were not eligible because they are still (unbelievably) in the works. BUT, there is one finished project that I am super proud of…my HI! Rusty Bedspring Marquee Sign.

So I thought, sure why not enter it? Well, I did, and guess what? My mug is now plastered on a billboard in Times Square!

What?!?! Now, since I don’t live in NYC, I have no way of actually seeing my face in lights (ugh, I hope it’s not high def so you can see all those wrinkles), but I am told that it is on the CNN billboard on the corner of 46th and 47th street. So, if anyone happens to be in Manhattan between now and December 27th, could you take a peek? Just look for the giant HI! that is rotating along with the 100’s of other featured projects. You can check out some of the others here (you’ll note that the Times Square featured projects have a little green street sign in the top right corner : )

Like my friend Sarah, from Little Red Brick House’s beautiful Fireplace Makeover.

In the meantime, if you would like to see the now famous Rusty Bedspring Marquee Light in person, it’s hanging in the shop at the Barn at Todd Farm. But right now it says JOY.

Because that’s a little of what I am feeling right now : ) Thanks to Black & Decker for sponsoring this contest and allowing everyday folks the opportunity for their 15 minutes of fame. And for encouraging all of us procrastinators to finish what we started!! You, too can enter for the chance to have your photo plastered on a billboard in Times Square, but also for some great prizes like some new Black & Decker tools and a grand prize of $10,000!! (which I could then use to buy the new cordless drill that I have been coveting-Santa, are you reading this?!?) Have a great finish to your Friday everyone!! xoxo Susan

Filed Under: I've Been Featured On..., Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BlackandDecker, 000, Black & Decker Finished Project Contest, Black & Decker Times Square Billboard, Black & Decker Win $10, Black & Decker Your Big Finish, Little Red Brick House

Nov 20, 2014

A Bridal Party @ Crate & Barrel

By countrydesignhome · 5 Comments

Did I mention somewhere that our daughter is getting married next summer? Plans are well underway, and I know that what seems so far away right now will be here and gone in an instant! To date, we have secured the venue, the band, the photographer, the florist, 2 wedding dresses (yes, 2, at least for now) and an international guest list which should make for a very exciting event! Now that our daughter and her fiancé have started their online planning journey on weddingwire.com, they have begun receiving invites from various local vendors who wish to offer their services for the newlyweds-to-be. This past Sunday, I got the call-up to attend a Crate & Barrel Wedding Registry

private party with my daughter, as her fiancé was traveling on business and was unable to attend. At 9am sharp, 2 hours before the store opened to the general public, the doors opened and we were greeted by some very knowledgeable folks-meet Bill, everyone-

who took us through the ins and outs of proper wedding registry protocols and the how-to’s of utilizing the registry app. Of course, since I was not registering…

although I wanted to…

I have grown pretty weary of my 25-year-old Corelle dinnerware-that stuff just won’t break…

I stood in the background to follow the bridal goings-on, but was repeatedly distracted by the festive holiday displays scattered throughout the entire store. So many gorgeous holiday decorations and potential DIY projects!! These twigs are actually something (not sure if they were real twigs or wire or what, but I’m certain the store would have frowned upon me unwrapping them to figure it out…) wrapped in birch-log look paper. Gotta get my hands on some birch paper!

Did you know that birch logs are a thing this year? I have three and I feel as if I am in possession of some coveted treasure. Loving these sweet log cabin holiday pillows.

How many of you have the luxury of using holiday throw pillows in place of your regular ones? I know I would love a whole bunch of them scattered around my house, but what would I do with them after the holidays?? I have enough troubles storing all of those dishes!

When we ventured over to the cooking section, while Kate chatted with the All-Clad rep about the virtues of stainless steel vs. non-stick cookware, I spotted these yummy (faux) cupcakes

and these adorable red striped mixing bowls

and these holiday aprons and towels-I’ll take one of each, please!

In the Tree Lot, there were Christmas tree candles and soaring pines and spindly sparkly trees,

resplendent in glittery ornaments

and twinkling lights for the upcoming holidays.

Holiday dinnerware displays.

I have a confession to make…I’m a plate addict. Is there such a thing as Dinnerware Anonymous? I already have 6 sets of dishes, but every time I see new festive ones, I want to add them to my collection! I know, I mentioned that set of old Corelle that just won’t break-which is why we use them every single day. All of the other sets are “The Good Dishes“-preserved for holidays and special occasions. But I digress..I’m supposed to be helping pick out stuff for the bride-to-be to show her groom! But she only chose a few things, because she was waiting for him to return to the store with her to choose their items together. Sigh…young love.

Loving this dinnerware in all shades of chalky pastels. Wouldn’t these look amazing displayed in a chalk-painted antique cupboard?? Hmmm…

The two hours flew by, as I know the next 10 months will, and we turned in the registry “gun” and headed out, but not before purchasing a couple of items for me to use for the upcoming holidays. You didn’t think I was going to get out of there without at least one new plate, did you?? I hope your Thursday is an eventful one, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, The Wedding 2015, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Crate & Barrel, Crate & Barrel Wedding Registry, Crate and Barrel Holiday decorations

Sep 3, 2014

Our Summer Vacation, Part 1

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

The other day, I mentioned that Coach and I had taken a little trip across the pond for our summer vacation. I haven’t posted a Wanderlust Wednesday for quite awhile, so today I thought I would share a few of my favorite pics with you! Our first stop, glorious London.

The photos speak for themselves. Home of the Queen of England, Buckingham Palace.

It wasn’t tucked away in some remote, inaccessible part of town. (although it did have these rather large gates to keep intruders out)

Nope, it’s right smack dab in the middle of London, where tourists flock daily to view the changing of the guard.

Painting the streets to ensure that pedestrians don’t step off the curb into oncoming traffic! (OK, Coach only had to pull me back once, maybe twice from certain peril)

Portobello Road Market. Shops, restaurants and antiques and collectibles for miles.

Tower of London. Quite a view of the River Thames from the Tower Bridge.

Stunning architecture.

Beheadings, murders, assassinations and such.

Greenwich, England. Greenwich mean time is the clock that sets the world’s timetable.

If you stand on each side of this one thin metal line, you are in both the Eastern and Western Hemisphere. Even in the rain.

Admiral Hardy’s Pub in Greenwich. Our first of many, many pub stops to quench our thirst, as it was quite unseasonably warm for summer in London.

Coach discovered Pear Cider and Crabbie’s Ginger Beer,

and we watched a game of cricket on the telly. I am certain that our puzzlement about the game of cricket is only matched by Europeans’ confusion regarding American baseball.

The London Eye. Spectacular. A gigantic ferris wheel built for the Millenium Celebration with the intent to tear it down once it ended, but it became so popular that it remains today as one of London’s most-visited attractions.

You cannot go to London without seeing vintage red phone booths…

or visiting the legendary Harrods. It is not a store, it’s an experience. Copper dome lighting display.

Finally discovered a use for Coach’s thousands of books!

An evening stroll through Chinatown.

A trip to London is not complete without a Beatles Concert!

I discovered this lighted sign in a window in Trafalgar Square. I think about the message quite often, especially when making a life choice that could go either way. Traditionally I err on the side of caution, but lately I’ve been trying to change just a bit and: